- Seller: David B (Contact)
- Location: Guilford, Connecticut
- Mileage: 28,000 Shown
- Chassis #: 899A2077810
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 239 Flathead V8
- Transmission: 3-Speed Manual
Mercury offered buyers Ford familiarity but with a little more size and style. It also offered features you didn’t typically find on a budget friendly Ford. Take this 1948 Mercury Eight Club Convertible that spent most of its life in California before moving to Connecticut about five years ago. It features a 239-cubic-inch flathead V8, a column-shifted three-speed, and most importantly, a power-operated top. The car is located in Guilford, Connecticut, with an asking price of $40,000.
The 1948 model was the last Mercury to use the marque’s prewar body design, and the Club Convertible was one of the more exclusive ways to buy it. Published production figures list 7,586 examples for the model year. Mercury’s 239-cubic-inch flathead made 100 horsepower and sent power to the rear wheels through a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. It isn’t a fast car by modern standards, but the flathead’s smooth torque and unmistakable exhaust note are a big part of the experience.
The metallic red paint is close to the original Pheasant Red and is paired with a tan cloth top and tan leather-and-vinyl interior. The previous owner completed the restoration, and it remains attractive, though the seller notes a few touch-ups. The power top is said to work correctly, while the chrome, glass, upholstery, trunk, and underside all present well in the supplied photos. Coker American Classic 215/75R15 whitewalls, Super Slide lined springs, and a ride height about 1.5 inches below stock give it a slightly more planted stance without visually changing the car’s character.
The flathead is said to start readily and breathes through dual exhaust with glass-pack mufflers. Touring-minded updates include an electric fuel pump, a six-volt Powermaster alternator disguised as a generator, a Pertronix Flame-Thrower coil, and a replaced clutch. The speedometer works, but the original oil-pressure and temperature gauges have been bypassed in favor of under-dash gauges, and the fuel gauge is temperamental. The original radio powers up without producing sound, so a separate 12-volt radio and small auxiliary battery were installed. The headlights, turn signals, map lights, fog lamps, heater, horn, wipers, and power top are reported to work; the spotlight does not.
The odometer shows about 28,000 miles, but the true mileage is unknown. This Mercury looks ready for local shows and relaxed touring, with enough small projects for an owner who enjoys improving a car without dismantling it. A spare flathead V8 and three-speed transmission are available separately for an agreed price. With its power top, handsome older restoration, and usable mechanical upgrades, is this the sort of postwar convertible you would drive as-is or gradually return to factory specification?
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